Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!hplabs!hp-pcd!hpcvlx!tomg
From: tomg@hpcvlx.HP.COM (Thomas J. Gilg)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: Info on PHIGS/PEX vs HP9000 wanted
Message-ID: <101880009@hpcvlx.HP.COM>
Date: 10 Apr 89 17:22:30 GMT
References: <1016@esatst.yc.estec.nl>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Co., Corvallis, OR, USA
Lines: 43


> Does anyone know anything about the availability of PHIGS or PEX 
> on HP9000/s800 computers. Has HP any plans to come out with a 
> product based on either PHIGS or PEX or maybe both?
>
> HP has a graphics library named Starbase some people seems to indicate
> that this indeed is more or less compatible with PHIGS. Is this true?

Starbase is HP's own high performance graphics library that takes
advantage of the accelerated graphics displays HP offers ( S_olid
R_endering X_ccelerator, Turbo SRX, and the hp98556 ) in addition
to supporting the other graphics displays.  It is _not_ PHIGS or
GKS, but both PHIGS and GKS are available from HP, and reside
on top of Starbase. ( Actually, PHIGS is a third party product:
Templates Figaro product ).

Recently, HP's X11 server was modified so that Starbase clients could
run directly in a window using Direct Hardware Access ( non-network ).
With full performance Starbase running in a window, PHIGS and GKS
also run in a window.  ( Basically, X11 and Starbase were taught to 
co-exist on the same display hardware.  This is not an extension of
X11, and is not networkable ).

As for PEX ( PHIGS Extensions to X ), thats in the future.  The only
thing I could add is that HP has a "Starbase On X driver", or
SOX11, that allows a Starbase client to also run in an X11 window,
and is networkable.  It works by translating Starbase calls into
their X11 equivalents.   The end result is a Starbase client that 
looks like an X11 client.  Because it is networked ( contast direct
hardware access ), speed is slower for complex rendering and
transforms.  Also, not all Starbase commands have X11 equivalents,
so only a subset of Starbase is supported.

I hope this helped.  Need more info, let me know, and I'll try
to point you to the proper folks,

      Thomas Gilg
tomg%hp-pcd@hplabs.hp.com

> -- Arne Lundberg, ESTEC/YCV, The Netherlands
> 	arne@yc.estec.nl
> 	arne@esatst.UUCp
> 	ALUNDBER@ESTEC.BITNET